09/11/2026
There are few things in my life that I have done consecutively for 25 years, but taking school photos is one of them.
Interestingly, I got that first school photography job because of connections. I spent so much time at the local camera shop buying supplies for my college classes that the employees connected me with studio owners in Whitehall who needed someone to help cover schools throughout the area. Even then, relationships were opening doors I never expected.
On September 11, 2001, that is exactly what I was doing in Butte, Montana.
I was in a school cafeteria waiting for the next group of students when they began telling us the horrifying news. There was a television in the kitchen, and between classes we were glued to it, shocked as we realized what they were telling us was true.
At the time, I was also editor-in-chief of the Montana State University Exponent student newspaper, and I immediately knew this would be the biggest story our staff would cover under my leadership.
My first concern when I returned to Bozeman, though, was Eric. He had flown back from MN the night before after a complicated trip that was nearly rerouted. Knowing what was happening with air travel that day, we were tremendously grateful he had made it home. The hug we shared still ranks as one of the tightest of our marriage.
Just a few weeks later, I traveled to New York City with several of my student editors for a journalism conference. As editor-in-chief, I was responsible for our group as we navigated the city, despite being a college student their age myself. Experiencing and photographing New York so soon after the attacks is something I will never forget.
Today, exactly 25 years after I stood in that school cafeteria in Butte, I will once again be behind a camera taking school photos.
I only photograph a few schools now so I can focus on the other work Woller Photography has grown into, but those schools mean a great deal to me. I am grateful they continue to trust me with their students.
As I tell my photography students, school portraits aren't my most creative work, but they may be some of the most important photographs I make. A school portrait, church directory photograph, or simple headshot may someday become the image a family treasures when someone they love is no longer here.
The photography and journalism skills I was developing 25 years ago are still part of everything I do today—from those school portraits and professional branding headshots to documenting people's stories and teaching photography and journalism students of my own.
September 11 will always remind me that we are never promised how much time we have with the people we love, and that I should never underestimate the value of the work we are called to do, even when it seems ordinary.
I am grateful to still be using the talents God gave me to document people, preserve their stories, and teach others to do the same.
